China’s 595th-ranked Zhang Shuai has vowed to play on after her historic run in Beijing ended valiantly in the quarter-finals on Thursday.
The 35-year-old has been one of the stories of the China Open, having arrived at the prestigious WTA 1000 event on a streak of 24 singles defeats in a row.
The painful losing run, stretching more than 600 days, was the second-longest on the WTA Tour in the Open Era, which began in 1968.
But the two-time Grand Slam quarter-finalist, whose career has been hampered of late by injury, staged a remarkable renaissance by winning four matches in a row in the Chinese capital.
It propelled her into the last eight, but it proved a step too far as she went down 6-1, 7-6 (7/4) to Spain’s former world number two Paula Badosa.
Zhang was the lowest-ranked player in the history of the tournament to get that far.
With her fellow players including Badosa encouraging her not to give up, Zhang said: “Before my plan was to play more doubles, focus on doubles.
“But now I think I have to change the plan. Paula told me I have to play. Don’t retire.”
Zhang, a former top-25 player who is set to rocket up the rankings into the 200s, added: “Next year I will try to play as many singles as well as doubles matches.”
Zhang had considered quitting altogether after racking up loss after loss.
“After the losing streak I was asking myself as well as my team and my coach if I want to continue my professional career.
“Should I continue as a doubles player? I did not want that.”
Zhang, who has won two major titles in doubles, said that as much as anything else, she did not know what to do beyond tennis.
Despite being an elite player she said she had been turned down to be a coach at a prestigious university in Beijing because she did not have a local residential permit.
“I did not have any other options. I had to continue my path on the tour,” she said.
“I do not know what I can do after I retire,” said Zhang, a popular figure in the locker room.
“I think the only thing left for me is to continue to be on the tour, to be a professional tennis player.
“Other than that, what can I do?”
